


Something Different

by cactusladd



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: BLUPJEANS BABY, Other, Post-Episode: e067-069 Story and Song Parts 1-3, anyway it's very soft please enjoy, blupjeans bio kid because it's a wonderful fantasy world and it's nice to think about, blupjeans offspring, i haven't written anything in years this is a bad idea, siblings being siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:55:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28762167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cactusladd/pseuds/cactusladd
Summary: Lup has always had trouble sleeping.She can count on one hand the unbroken nights of sleep she’s had since the Hunger was defeated. It’s not that she’s too hot or too cold, it’s not that she can’t get comfortable, it’s not even the recurring nightmares of being locked away in a black curtained room - it’s a lingering anxiety from years of staying in undesirable places among even more undesirable people. There is no rest in hiding. Even nowadays, enveloped in her husband’s arms, stability still feels like a stranger.Tonight, though, something else wakes her.---The arrival of Barry and Lup's impending child is - of course - going to be a rollercoaster from beginning to end.
Relationships: Barry Bluejeans/Lup, Lup & Taako (The Adventure Zone), taakitz mention :)))
Comments: 5
Kudos: 34





	Something Different

**Author's Note:**

> hellooo so i forgot i had this account and decided to start writing again  
> this. wasn't supposed to be this long. i got a bit carried away.
> 
> (also this particular blupjeans baby belongs to @/little_miss_critical on ig who gave me her blessing to use them in a fic because she's wonderful)

Lup has always had trouble sleeping.

She can count on one hand the unbroken nights of sleep she’s had since the Hunger was defeated. It’s not that she’s too hot or too cold, it’s not that she can’t get comfortable, it’s not even the recurring nightmares of being locked away in a black curtained room - it’s a lingering anxiety from years of staying in undesirable places among even more undesirable people. There is no rest in hiding. Even nowadays, enveloped in her husband’s arms, stability still feels like a stranger.

Tonight, though, something else wakes her.

Surprisingly, it isn’t the usual full bladder or sudden spike of pain in her back or sharp kick to the ribs that jolts her out of unconsciousness - it’s a tight, squeezing, cramping sensation in her abdomen that leaves her holding her breath until it eventually dissipates. She knows this well. She’s two weeks from ‘Go Time’ and the little one has given her a good number of scares recently, but it feels  _ different  _ somehow. Struck by a pang of intuition, she gently removes herself from her partner’s embrace, heaves herself out of bed and slowly shuffles her way to the bathroom.

Lup squints in the bright light as she lets the cool water fill her cupped hands before splashing it over her face. It’s early December, the wrong time to be hot, but she’s grown fond of the simpler pleasures during what’s been, in her own words, the longest year of her  _ fucking  _ life. And she means that wholeheartedly.

Wiping the droplets from her face with the sleeve of her shirt, she looks up at her reflection in the mirror, at the body she had barely gotten used to again before it started changing, and sighs.

“Today’s the day, isn’t it, kid?” she says softly, running the palm of her hand over her belly to settle the tiny wriggling person inside. “How ‘bout this - you make it easy for me, and I let you have ice cream for dinner every birthday until you’re 50. Sound good to you?”

The bargain is quickly followed by another pain, which she takes as a ‘no’ as she grips the edges of the sink and tries to remember how to breathe again.

“Fair enough, but it’s your loss.”

Lup finds the bedroom illuminated by the soft glow of the lamp when she returns, Barry sitting up in bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he feels around for his glasses. The absence of her soft weight in his arms must have disturbed him.

“Sorry, big guy - did I wake you up?” she says with a fond smile, clambering onto the mattress again and - carefully - sitting cross-legged across from him.

“Just a sec - I can’t  _ see  _ you yet.”

Lup can’t help but laugh as she watches him fumble aimlessly around the bedside table.

“I think they’re on the floor, baby,” she chuckles. “I can’t bend over and find them for you, you’ll have to do it yourself.”

“I know, I know-”

With a heavy, irritated sigh, he pushes the frames up the bridge of his nose and turns to face his wife again, finally able to see her clearly. God, she’s just so beautiful. Her warm skin and clear eyes and bright, softly curling hair - even tired and dishevelled in the middle of the night, she still manages to look radiant.

“It’s late. What’re you doing up?” he asks her, shifting closer. “Did you have that dream again?”

“Nah, not tonight. Apparently  _ someone  _ is making their Grand Debut.”

It takes a moment to register, but when it does, his head jerks a little in surprise as his eyes widen. “-oh, shit, really? Today?”

“I think it’s today,” she replies, letting out a deep breath as she rubs her aching back with both hands. “It’d  _ better  _ be today. I swear, if this kid doesn’t  _ get a move on _ , they’re totally grounded already.”

Barry stifles a laugh, suddenly worried. “I mean - are you OK? What does it feel like?”

“It’s a pain, but it’s, like… a  _ weird  _ pain. Sort of a  _ tightening _ . It’s not that intense -  _ yet  _ \- but it’s  _ way  _ different to anything I’ve felt before.” She looks at his face, seeing a look of concern. “I’m  _ fine _ , babe, stop panicking. Save the stress for when I’m doubled over, screaming the house down.”

“Alright…” He trails off, unconvinced. “Just tell me if it gets worse so I can be there, OK?”

“Oh, don’t worry, Bear - when it gets worse,  _ you’ll know _ .”

The darkness fades to the light of early morning, the two of them spending the rest of the night in the living room, dozing on the couch to squeeze in a few extra minutes of sleep and shuffling the lengths of the hallways over and over again. Lup is quiet as she tries to puff through the steadily increasing pain, but her stoic silence is broken as a particularly nasty contraction leaves her gasping for breath and holding onto Barry like her life depends on it.

“Barold. Barold. Once all this is done - and I mean this with every fibre of my being-” she says through gritted teeth as she digs her fingernails into his shoulders, “-you are  _ never _ touching me again.”

“I know, Lup.”

He holds her tightly in his arms, knowing she doesn’t mean it - she’s irritated, she’s in pain, she just needs to let it out. It isn’t forever, it’ll be over soon. He’ll have some killer bruises by the end but it won’t matter because he’ll also have a  _ baby  _ and that’s all he cares about.

Lup relaxes her grip as the contraction finishes and stands up straight again, Barry’s hands still on her hips to keep her steady. She looks up at him with unspoken gratitude; she’s too tired and frustrated to tell him now, but she’s thankful that he’s here with her and she’ll make damn sure he knows it when she’s done.

“Sorry about the claws.” She laughs half-heartedly, glancing down at the floor. “I just…  _ God _ , that one hurt. Felt like someone was dragging a knife through my guts.”

“I bet it did,” Barry replies, helping her lower herself onto the couch. “Lup - is there anything I can do? What do you need?”

Lup doesn’t hesitate for even a moment.

“I need Taako. Call Taako, there’s no way I’m doing this without him. My dumbass brother is going to help me bring this baby into the world whether he likes it or not.”

The Stone of Farspeech seems to ring  _ forever _ . It’s the weekend, of course he’s not up yet - he’s Taako, he won’t be up for hours.

“I’m gonna kill him,” Lup grumbles into a couch cushion. “If he doesn’t pick up in the next ten seconds I’m gonna go there myself and strangle him with my bare hands-”

As if on cue, the stone suddenly connects, the muffled voice music to Lup’s ears.

_ “What goes on?” _

“Taako, I’m shitting out a person, get your ass over here,” Lup shouts up at the stone.

“Did you, uh… Did you catch that?” Barry asks him, grimacing as Lup squeezes his other hand hard enough to pop a knuckle.

_ “Now? Really? I’m wiped, couldn’t she have waited until later to start… I dunno, the ‘Miracle of Life’ or whatever?” _

“Please just come over, she needs someone else’s bones to break.”

Taako arrives ten minutes later, all bedhead and pale face and rumpled, slept-in clothes.

“ _ Hungover? _ ” Lup exclaims the second he click-clacks through the doorway. “I’m sitting here  _ creating life _ and you’re  _ hungover?! _ ”

“How was  _ I  _ supposed to know that my niece-nephew would decide to show up the morning after date night?” he frowns, plopping himself down on the couch next to her. “Plus they weren’t supposed to be done cooking yet. Fashionably  _ early _ \- are you  _ sure  _ it’s your kid?”

“I’m  _ absolutely positive -  _ hold me,” she wheezes, grabbing Taako’s hand in hers. A little shaken at first, a sudden strange feeling of protectiveness overcomes him; usually he’s alright with other people’s pain, but this is his sister and she’s hurting and there’s nothing he can do about it. Nothing but squeeze back and watch as she breathes through it for one agonising minute, holding onto her leg, her eyes tightly closed.

“ _ Shit _ , Lulu - labour’s no joke, huh?” he says awkwardly, stretching out his fingers once she lets go. “I love you but I kinda wanna keep my hand intact.”

“Now you know how my husband feels.”

“Where is Barold, anyways? I figured he’d be glued to your side the whole time.”

“He’s in the shower - he wants to make a good impression.” She huffs, slumping against her brother’s shoulder. “Not gonna lie, Koko - this fucking  _ sucks. _ I’ve got a pretty rad pain tolerance, right? Broken bones? Fine. Ghosts and demons clawing at my soul? Cool. Tiny creature digging their feet into my organs? I’m out, sayonara, no thank you. They punched me in the  _ bladder  _ once and it didn’t end well.”

“Sounds like they’re going to be a wild child,” he says as he reaches down and gives her bump a pat. “Hey, stop beating up your mom. She’s giving you sentience, you could at least be grateful.”

Lup snorts with laughter as a hard kick forces her brother’s hand off. “I don’t think they like you very much.”

“Fine, I see how it is. Just remember that I’m going to be  _ at least _ your third favourite person.”

“Dream on.”

“What did I miss?” Barry comes down the stairs, skin pink, hair damp and tousled.

“Your child hasn’t even been born yet and they’re already a little shitbag,” Taako glowers as he folds his arms over his chest.

“I wonder where they get that from?” Barry says,  _ mostly  _ joking. “Showing up at an inconvenient time, causing everyone around them emotional distress - yup, Taaco genes right there.”

“Don’t test me when I’m hungover, Barold-”

“Please, boys, I’m already in enough pain,” Lup groans, squeezing her eyes shut as she feels another surge start working its way through her body. “I’m trying to concentrate on getting an entire baby  _ out of me  _ and in-law bickering is the last thing I need.”

“Speaking of - how long is this supposed to take? I’m a busy man, y’know,” Taako teases, getting an eye roll in return. “And is this gonna get  _ gross _ because I don’t do  _ gross  _ anymore.”

“How should I know? We’re usually on the other end of this.” She sits up straight again and begins dragging her fingers through her tangled hair, pulling it back into a ponytail. “And  _ yeah _ , it’s gonna get gross. There’s going to be blood and sweat and a  _ multitude  _ of other things and we’re  _ all  _ going to be covered in it and it’s going to be  _ nasty _ so I hope that’s an old sweater.”

“It’s Krav’s, I’m sure he won’t mind.”

The minutes trail into hours as Lup drags herself through the long day and longer night, pacing the room to keep her mind and body occupied, Barry and Taako alternating to get her water and massage her lower back and wipe the sweat from her forehead. She’s desperate to try and stay calm but it’s getting harder and harder. She only cries out once; a primal, wounded yell that comes completely out of nowhere as the worst pain yet tears through her like a dull blade, sending Barry into a panic and Taako’s heart beating just a little faster. A twinge of guilt hits her when she looks up again and sees them both staring at her, wide-eyed.

“Fuck - did I freak you out?” she asks, feeling bad for scaring them. “Sorry - baby’s giving me a  _ rough ride _ right now. Would it be bad if I just flopped around on my bed and waited for it all to be over?”

“Are we going back upstairs?” Barry’s voice trembles a little as the reality of the situation sinks in.

“There’s no way this can carry on for much longer, let’s go now before I’m totally incapacitated.”

She plants her hand on Barry’s shoulder as he supports her back to help her up and Taako starts joking around about the almighty screech she just made - abruptly cut off mid-sentence as a sudden gush of liquid trickles down her leg onto the floor. The stunned silence that follows is almost laughable.

“I don’t wanna alarm you, Barry, but I think I just ruined the carpet.”

Barry coughs into the crook of his elbow. “Now what do we do?”

“Well, we should probably call the  _ healer _ ; I love you both more than life itself, but I don’t trust either of you to not fuck something up down there.”

Taako is - unfortunately - the person to open the door and greet the short, smiling man standing outside.

“Jeez, Lup, I thought you wanted a  _ healer  _ to deliver your baby?” Taako shouts up the stairs.

“Watch your mouth, young man,” Merle says as Taako closes the door behind him. “You’re not too old for a spanking.”

“Gross.”

“How’s she doing so far?”

“She’s not screaming which I  _ guess  _ is a good thing, but you’d better have something for Barry’s hands - there’s no way the guy has any intact bones in his fingers anymore.”

They make it to the top of the stairs and turn the corner to the open bedroom door, unlucky enough to walk in mid-contraction. Lup has discarded her clothing and replaced it with one of Barry’s shirts, leaning over the bed on her knees and elbows while he rubs her back in slow, smooth circles to help her through the pain. As the cramp eases, she turns to face the doorway with a tired smile.

“How’re you feeling, kiddo?” Merle asks as Barry helps her get comfortable on the bed.

“Everything  _ hurts _ ,” she exhales. “There’s so much  _ pressure _ down there, it’s like there’s a  _ rock _ on my pelvis and my back is killing me and I’m so fucking  _ tired _ . And I didn’t think I’d get so  _ sweaty _ .”

Merle gives a light chuckle. “Yeah, it sure ain’t pretty, I’ll give you that. It won’t be much longer now, though - looks like you’re almost ready to go.”

“ _ Shit.”  _ Barry goes red and Lup snorts at his slip-up. “Like - what do we need? Do we need anything?”

“Towels - lots of towels - and blankets and hot water. I’ll warn you now - this might get messy.”

Barry gets up to go downstairs, dithering in the doorway for a second, looking anxiously at Lup.

“Barold,” she says, giving him a firm but encouraging look. “I won’t die if you leave the room for five minutes. Chill out, OK, baby?”

Perhaps not entirely reassured, he nods, pushes his glasses back into place, and glances back at her one last time before rushing out of the room with Merle. Lup sits up with an exhausted, irritated sigh as Taako sits cross-legged on the bed next to her.

“You want me to do your hair so you don’t get too hot?”

“Please.”

Lup pulls the ties off her wrist and hands them back to Taako, who releases her hair from its now unkempt ponytail and starts separating it into sections.

“So…” she says, still unsure of where her sentence is going when it begins.

“So?”

“I’m going to have a baby, like…  _ any minute now _ . That’s wild, huh?”

“Yeah, it’s  _ batshit wild _ , Lup. I never thought we’d be here in a million years.”

She smiles to herself, fondly recalling the few spells that worked after the hundreds that didn’t. “Neither did I.”

Taako finishes tying one half of her hair into a short, tight braid and moves onto the other half, slowly running his fingers through to remove some of the tangles.

“I’m worried about Barry,” Lup says, staring down at her feet.

“Aren’t we all?”

“Did you see the way he looked at me back there? I thought he was gonna shit himself.”

“Well, y’know, he’s about to become a dad straight from being a  _ not-dad.  _ That’s kind of a big deal.” Taako pauses for a second, deliberating. “I think he’s scared of losing you again.”

“You think so?”

“I mean… We’ve all lost eachother so many times, and the last one was  _ for real _ , and now you’re back for good but things can go wrong and-”

“Wow, Taako, that’s very reassuring, thanks.”

“I’m scared too, Lulu.”

There is silence between them for the longest of seconds.

“There’s about to be another person in the world that we’re  _ all  _ going to be responsible for and that’s  _ scary.  _ What if I’m a shitty uncle? What if I screw up again and they get hurt?”

“Taako, we’ve been over this-”

“I don’t want them to suffer like we did. I want things to be OK for them the way they weren’t for us. I don’t blame Barry for being scared, because I’m  _ terrified _ .”

It’s rare for anyone to be lost for words in this house, but in this moment, Lup is speechless. She didn’t know her brother felt this way; sure, he’s been pretty nonchalant about the whole ordeal, but she had no idea that the very idea of his impending niece-nephew was causing him so much worry.

“This braid is fucked, I gotta start it again.”

Lup turns her head slightly, looking at their reflections in the mirror - her own dishevelled, aching form and the discontented look on Taako’s face as his fingers weave in and out.

“All done,” he says coolly, securing the second braid and patting her shoulder. “Keep those in, you might not have time to wash it tomorrow.”

“Thanks.” She turns around to face him, her pale eyes locking with his. “I know you’re scared, Taako. I’m kinda scared too. But I promise they’ll  _ never  _ have to go through what we did - they’re going to grow up feeling warm and cared for and  _ so  _ loved by so many people. The world we’ve built for them is  _ safe _ , and we’re going to be fine. For  _ once _ , everything is going to be fine.”

Taako initially fights the grateful smile tugging at his lips, but gives in as Lup reaches over and gives his hand a squeeze.

“See, I knew I could get one out of you.  _ Sweet fantasy Jesus-” _

Lup cries out and grips her brother’s wrists just as Barry and Merle come back into the room, Barry almost dropping the stack of towels he’s carrying.

“Lup?! Are you OK?!” he exclaims, rushing to her side.

“This is it - this is  _ it _ , boys!” she half-yells, the searing pain seeming to spread like a wildfire from her stomach to her hips and down her legs. “If this isn’t the worst part, just  _ knock me the fuck out _ and I’ll see you all in the morning!”

“Oh, fuck- is it time?!” Barry says, every last drop of blood draining from his face.

Merle gives him a - somewhat patronising - thumbs up from the end of the bed. “It’s time!”

Taako springs up to help get the room ready while Lup grabs the sides of Barry’s head in both her hands, leaving him staring at her, dumbfounded.

“Babe. Babe, look at me,” she says, stroking her thumbs across his cheeks. “We’re gonna be OK. You’re scared, I’m scared - we’ve grown an entire  _ life form  _ and we’re all terrified. And I’m about to violently export said life form out of me and it’s gonna hurt like hell, so get yourself onto this bed  _ right now _ .”

For just a second, Barry’s sickening worry and anxiety seems to fade a little, grasping her hand tightly in one of his own and pushing her fringe back from her face with the other, placing a long kiss on her forehead.  _ “I love you so much.” _

“I love you too. Bed. Now.”

Barry hops onto the bed and settles himself behind his wife, letting her push her weight back against his chest, holding eachother up.  _ This is really happening. _ He kisses her neck, burying his face in the deep red of her hair, damp with sweat but still full of that smell he loves so much; sweet-scented conditioner and coconut oil and  _ her _ .

Taako finishes spreading towels over the mattress and glances over at his sister. “Lup-”

“Oh, no, you’re not getting out of this, buddy. Give me your hand.”

He sits up on the bed next to her, holding her free hand in both of his, and smiles at her - a  _ real  _ smile; genuine, gentle. As she lays there, the two loves of her life on either side, a new feeling overtakes her - something strange and instinctive from a place deep inside of her that she didn’t know existed.

“ _ Fuck-” _

“Yup, there it is,” Merle says, looking up at her. “I think you know what to do now, don’tcha, Lup?”

Lup nods, takes a deep breath in, presses her chin to her chest, and pushes with everything she’s got.

Merle was right, of course - it’s not pretty. It doesn’t hurt as badly as she’d thought, but it’s difficult and strenuous and exhausting and she can’t hear the shouted words of encouragement above her own heartbeat pounding in her ears. She holds on tighter, and pushes harder, and curses louder, and-

And then it’s over.

Lup is too dazed to recognise who the crying belongs to at first - her or Barry or maybe even Taako. Then she opens her eyes and realises the pain is gone and she feels  _ empty _ and there’s a tiny, screaming, bloody little baby in Merle’s hands.

“Holy  _ shit _ -” she whispers, feeling tears spring to her eyes and start slipping down her flushed cheeks. She looks up at her husband and he’s  _ sobbing _ , watching Merle wipe down the baby’s face and wrap her in a towel, leaning forward to accept the small bundle into his arms.

“Oh my God - Lup, look at her… Look at her, she’s so  _ little- _ ” he chokes, breaking into a smile. “Lup, she’s  _ beautiful…” _

Almost weeping with relief, Lup unbuttons the top of her shirt and Barry rests the baby in her arms, the wailing cries lowering to nothing more than occasional sniffles as she’s tucked up against her mother’s bare chest. Lup strokes her tiny cheek with her thumb, making soft, whispered ‘shh’ing noises as she holds her close and pushes the edge of the towel back from her face; pointed ears, scrunched-up button nose, and a shock of sand-coloured hair that sticks up in every direction.

“Whoa,  _ blonde _ ,” Lup says, laughing through her tears as she strokes the tufts of hair, soft and fine as dandelion fluff. “Where the hell did that come from?”

“You weren’t expecting it to be  _ red _ , were you?” Barry jokes, taking off his glasses and wiping the tears away with the palm of his hand. “I was  _ super  _ blonde as a kid, it got darker as I got older.”

“I’m killer with hair dye but I guess you can’t fool genetics.”

Suddenly remembering, Lup turns sharply towards her other side and up at Taako’s face, finding him in a state she rarely sees him in - an absolute  _ wreck _ . He looks as if he’s seen a ghost. His eyes are the size of dinner plates, his mouth slightly agape in shock, his hands fixed in the position he had held Lup’s in moments before - if the emotion in the room wasn’t so raw and intense, Lup would have pissed herself laughing.

“Taako? Anybody home?” she says, unable to tear the smile from her face. “You alright up there?”

“I… Wow.  _ Fuck.” _ He clears his throat and snaps out of it, pushing a stray lock of white hair behind his ear. “That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever  _ done _ ,” she responds, chuckling to herself as the baby closes her hand around her thumb. “I mean, saving the entire multiverse was wild too, but this is a hell of an achievement.”

“I think that’s the least that you deserve,” Barry says fondly. “It’s been a rough year.”

“That is an  _ offensive  _ understatement, my love.”

It  _ really  _ is. Lup likes to think that she has a pretty high tolerance for  _ bullshit. _ Pain doesn’t often faze her. She’s dealt with any number of cuts and burns, a severe concussion, a broken leg reset without anaesthetic - all things considered, she’s been through some things and it’s hard to get her to actually complain or ask for help. But this whole experience was just so new and so  _ unexpected _ from beginning to end. Pregnancy had been awful for Lup. She knew she should have tried to enjoy it - it was likely the only one she’d ever be able to have - and of course she was grateful that it had happened at all, but for the most part, it was  _ horrible. _ She hadn’t expected to feel so tired and sick and miserable for months on end. Eventually she got to the point where she just wanted it to be over and almost forgot she was going to have a baby by the end. But now it  _ is  _ over, and she has a  _ baby _ .

She’s a  _ mother  _ now.

_ That’s terrifying. _

Lup looks down at the bundle of towels in her arms, at this little being that she  _ made _ , that she  _ grew with her body _ \- the body she worked so hard to get and even harder to get back made  _ this _ . An entirely new person with her own thoughts and feelings who knows nothing about the world she’s just been thrown into. And yet she doesn’t feel like a stranger.

She shifts a little against Lup’s skin and stirs in her sleep before opening her eyes for the first time - a deep, rich blue, darker than Barry’s and nothing at all like her mother’s.

“Hey there!” Lup says, smiling as her baby reaches up towards her face with the  _ smallest  _ starfish hand. “I know you! We’ve been hangin’ out!”

With all words seemingly spoken, they fall silent, a gentle tension that lingers in the room until Lup feels a familiar cramp and breaks it like a sharp knife to a string.

“What the  _ fuck- _ ”

“Yeah, we’re not done yet - gotta get rid of her  _ house _ .”

An hour passes, the early morning light beginning to creep through a gap in the curtains; finally, a moment to breathe after stitches and shots and cleaning up all the unpleasantries. Calmness settles over the house again. Lup welcomes a shower while Taako clatters around in the kitchen downstairs and Merle begins making his way through the neighborhood to spread the good news to the rest of the family.

Lup is surprised by how  _ normal  _ she feels. She’d pictured this day a hundred times in the beginning, wondering which direction her emotions would drift once everything was said and done. But she isn’t completely overcome with instincts or feelings. She doesn’t feel like a different person. She feels like herself. Like  _ Lup. _ And she likes that. Being clean and refreshed and comfortable in her pyjamas after spending the last day and a half a gross, irritable wreck is different enough for her.

“I haven’t slept in 20 hours but I feel like a  _ new woman _ , I’m telling you-” she says with relief as she walks back into the bedroom, before being cut off by the scene in front of her. Barry is sitting relaxed against the headboard, softly humming under his breath, his newborn daughter resting in his arms like it’s second nature for him.

“I can’t believe she’s real,” he murmurs as he feels his wife curl up next to him and place a soft kiss at the base of his neck. “She’s  _ ours _ .”

“Me neither,” Lup whispers back, trying not to get choked up. “Well, she’s been  _ super  _ real to me for a long time. I had to tell myself there was a  _ reason _ why none of my clothes fit and I was puking all day and night so I didn’t go insane.”

Lup leans against her husband’s shoulder, feeling his touch warm her entire body. “She was worth it - it was  _ horrible  _ and I’m glad it’s over but she was worth it. And that last part fucking hurt so she’d better turn out to be one awesome kid.”

“Have you met this family? I don’t think she has much of a choice.”

As if on cue, a composed but still shaken Taako waits less than a second after knocking on the door to waltz in like he owns the place.

“There’s food downstairs when you want it,” he says, avoiding eye contact. “Merle ate, like, a third of it then zoomed down the street to wake everyone up and tell them.”

“That’s not fair, it’s me who’s been doing all the hard work.”

Barry carefully eases himself off the mattress again and leans in for a slow, gentle kiss, whispering that he’s just going downstairs for a minute to tidy things up before visitors arrive, and passes the baby back over to Lup for a cuddle before shuffling out of the room. She’s been cleaned up by now, fast asleep, snug in a blanket that had appeared on their doorstep just two days before, along with a single note congratulating them on their new arrival and no return address. It’s hand-knitted, eerily soft, black and crimson with twists of gold thread throughout the yarn. The person that sent it knows them well. Lup’s got an aesthetic to maintain, after all.

“I can’t wait for Magnus to meet her. He was probably more excited than we were for her to arrive,” Lup says with a chuckle, sinking back into the pillows. “I think Creesh is just gonna be  _ awkward _ with her at first. She said she’s never held a newborn before and the first one is ours of all people -  _ no fuckin’ pressure! _ And I don’t blame Dav for running away to be a pirate or whatever. He’s probably terrified that there’s another one of us in the world now.”

Taako stands idly at the other end of the bed, unsure what to do with himself. 

“Well, I’d better get going.” He clears his throat, obviously uncomfortable. "Gotta give Kravitz his clothes back and let him know about his fresh-out-of-the-womb niece-”

“Taako.”

“Did I leave my shoes by the back door or-”

“Taako. I know exactly what you’re doing.” Lup cocks an eyebrow and pats the space beside her on the mattress. “Get over here and hold her.”

He hesitates; a rare moment of insecurity. “You sure? I thought you wouldn’t be totally A-OK with your newborn being dropped on its head.”

“ _ Taako _ .”

Taako hangs back for a second, sighs, and perches on the edge of the bed next to his sister.

“So, like… What am I supposed to do with her?” he says, startled when Lup passes her over a little faster than he’s expecting. “Oh -  _ OK  _ \- there it is. Now what?”

“It’s not that difficult!” Lup replies with a laugh. “Have you ever  _ met _ a baby before, Koko?”

“Well, yeah, but this one’s  _ important. _ ”

It’s not at all what Taako was expecting. Honestly, he isn’t really sure what he was expecting. It’s…  _ strange.  _ He’s known she was coming for a while, obviously, but it never really felt real until now. He couldn’t quite believe it when Lup and Barry first dropped the announcement.  _ Really? Already? So soon after everything blew over? Are you sure? What if it comes out as some kind of demon half-skeleton abomination?  _ He got a death stare from his sister for that last one but it was a valid concern in his mind.

She  _ seems  _ pretty normal, at least at the moment. She’s clearly Barry’s daughter just from a glance, but she mirrors Lup with her tanned skin and downwardly pointing ears. She mirrors  _ him _ .

Taako doesn’t  _ hate  _ kids. The opposite, in fact. He just… didn’t  _ get  _ it. He never really knew what all the fuss was about. Until today. Maybe he’s tired or overwhelmed or simply stunned from what he’s just witnessed, but he gets it a little more now.

Lup and Barry’s baby. His niece. His  _ family _ .

“ _ Wow _ ,” is all he’s able to say at first. “She’s really somethin’, isn’t she, Lulu?”

“That’s one way to put it.” Lup cringes as she scoots closer to him; she’s pretty sore after everything that happened. “I think I did a pretty good job making her. We produce quality offspring in this house.”

“She looks like  _ us _ .”

Lup begins firing off another joke about having exquisite genetics, but realises her brother’s eyes are welling up. “Aw,  _ come on _ , babe - if you cry, I’ll cry!”

Taako holds his breath for a few seconds, managing to keep it together as he turns to face Lup again. “So, who’s this? What’s her name?”

“Melody. Melody Marlena. Mel for short, maybe.”

“I guess ‘Taako 2’ was off the table.”

“Just a little bit.”

Lup rests her head on her brother’s shoulder, her heart close to bursting. She had a feeling this would happen right from the start. She knew that despite Taako’s exterior wall, despite all his nonchalance, despite  _ everything _ , it would only take  _ seconds  _ for her kid to win him over.

The baby yawns, stretches out a little in Taako’s arms, and opens her eyes to look up at the two of them.

“Good morning, Melody Bluejeans!” Lup says with a wide smile. “Welcome to the world! We’re going to have one hell of an adventure.”


End file.
